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Si-woo Kim held the 54-hole lead at The CJ Cup Byron Nelson on Saturday, a PGA Tour event with a $10.3 million purse.
At TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas (par 71, 7,385 yards), Kim carded six birdies and three bogeys for a 3-under 68 in the third round, moving to 21-under 192 and maintaining the top spot on the leaderboard for a second straight day.
Kim, a four-time PGA Tour winner who last won at the Sony Open in January 2023, took the lead in round two and held it on Saturday as he chases his first victory of the season and a fifth career PGA Tour title.
Scotty Scheffler and Wyndham Clark, both Americans aiming to repeat at this event, each shot 6-under 65 to reach 19-under 194, two strokes back and tied for second.
Kim will tee off in the final pairing with Scheffler and Clark in the final round, setting up a three-way battle for the title.
After posting an 11-under 60 in the second round, Kim’s ball-striking slipped a bit on Saturday and he couldn’t quite recreate the feel from the day before.
He birdied the par-4 third and added another at the par-4 sixth to settle in. A bogey at the par-4 eighth stalled him, but he answered with a birdie at the par-5 ninth to make the turn even.
Back-to-back bogeys at Nos. 10 and 11 put Kim under pressure, but he shifted momentum with a birdie at the par-5 12th. He followed with birdies at the par-4 14th and par-3 15th to reassert control and close out his round.
After the round, Kim said, \”I wasn’t nervous. There were some tricky putts that didn’t fall, which was frustrating. At one point my caddie told me I was rushing, and that reminder helped me settle down. Things went well after No. 11. I couldn’t play as freely as I did yesterday, but I enjoyed it. I focused on the shots I wanted to hit and managed the final seven holes well.\”
Asked about being in contention for his first win in three years and four months, Kim said, \”I’m concentrating on playing my game rather than thinking about winning. I’ll be in the same group as last year’s winner Scheffler tomorrow. Whether I win or lose, it should be an entertaining match, and since we know each other well, I want to enjoy playing.\”
Sungjae Im posted six birdies and two bogeys for a 4-under 67, moving to 17-under 196 and dropping two spots from a tie for second to a tie for fourth.
Seung-yeol No, making his first PGA Tour start of the season, shot 4-under 67 to reach 13-under 200 and climb seven places to a tie for 16th, while Joo-hyung Kim picked up two shots to sit at 9-under 204 and tie for 50th.
Yong-joon Bae, competing on a sponsor exemption from the Korean PGA (KPGA) Tour, shot even-par 71 to stand at 8-under 205 and tie for 56th.
Golf writer Hak-yeol Oh kungkung5@viva100.com
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